


Photo Op: Costlemark Tower

by sylaise_lionheart



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: But he also takes a lot of damage whoops, Costlemark Tower (Final Fantasy XV), It's frog time, M/M, Mild Language, Prompto Argentum is a Ray of Sunshine, Status Effects
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:26:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26007973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sylaise_lionheart/pseuds/sylaise_lionheart
Summary: “Okay, Prompto, stay calm. It’s going to be okay.” That’s what Prompto Argentum, certified member of the Crownsguard and best friend of the Crown Prince of Lucis, had been repeating over and over for the past ten minutes as he paced back and forth in front of his friends, who were definitely safe and sound after the fight with two Naga (ugh, creepy) variants.Something warm, slippery, and downright disgusting licked his elbow, and Prompto disavowed any knowledge of shrieking at the contact. “Dude, cut it out!”He looked down at the offender— no, not condescendingly butliterallylooked down— because the one who had the audacity to scare the living daylight out of him was frog-sized and frustratingly smug over what he’d done. The frog beside it was croaking— no,laughing— while the last one remained quiet in a frighteningly-disapproving manner.Well, at least that solved the problem on how to identify his friends when they all look the same, but sweet Astrals--Fuck this place. Fuck Nagas. Fuck Costlemark Tower.
Relationships: Gladiolus Amicitia & Prompto Argentum & Noctis Lucis Caelum & Ignis Scientia, Prompto Argentum/Noctis Lucis Caelum
Comments: 18
Kudos: 130





	Photo Op: Costlemark Tower

**Author's Note:**

> This is based on my experience in the Menace Costlemark Dungeon wherein everyone but Prompto turned to frogs during the fight with the two serpentess and I've been forced to watch a danger-and-toad-state Noctis hop around 'til he died. 
> 
> Good times.

It wasn’t until the group descended to the familiar yet grueling room that was dimly lit by the faint glow of old magic did Prompto decide to break the silence among them. “Man, I hate this place.”

Even if Noctis was a few feet ahead of him, Prompto could still picture his best friend scowling in agreement. Well, other than the daemons lurking around and about, who wouldn’t despise this gods-forsaken maze-of-a-tower that once had them scrambling like flustered chocobos out of sheer annoyance?

“Come now, if it’s any reassurance, we already know what route we will be taking,” Ignis said, as if he himself wasn’t a teeny tiny bit away from throwing his composure out of the window the last time they’ve been here. 

Gladio, on the other hand, huffed, “We’d better be.”

“If it’s okay with you guys, I don’t feel like getting my ass kicked by a bunch of red giants and flans again every time we end up in that place,” Prompto quipped because really, the last thing they want now was to deplete their supplies of curatives; not when they’re planning to tackle the secret dungeon tucked away somewhere.

“Me either,” Noct grunted as they approached one of those magical cubes that will lead them further down. Quietly, Prompto muttered a quick prayer to the Six, desperately hoping that the room they’ll wind up in won’t have the same amount of enemies as last time.

  


* * *

  


Much to Prompto’s relief, the battle didn’t end up a disaster; in fact, the favor had ended up in their court seeing as they only needed to slay a dozen of flans and a single red giant and not, you know, a cacophony of a shit ton of flans, three giants, and one terrifying Naga.

The best part of it all? No one had been critically severed, and that meant less phoenix downs squandered and more gil spent on fluffy motel beds and hot showers. Yeah, a motel sounded heavenly right now or, better yet, a night at Wiz’s Chocobo Post. Shiva’s left tit, any place would outshine this stuffy tower right now. 

“There’s the door!” Distantly, he heard Gladio exclaim, and only now did he notice the entrance to the menace dungeon just a few distance away from where they stood. That the door looked similar to almost every other secret dungeon they’ve visited meant that they did struck gold. 

“Noct, the key?” Ignis asked.

“Yeah, I got it,” Noct responded as he fetched the key from his pocket to unlock the door before them. 

“Well, let’s get this show on the road!” Prompto cheered with a grin as he brushed past the others just to be the first one to take a step inside the dungeon. After all, the sooner they can get this over with, the sooner they can bunk in with the chocobos.

“Easy there, blondie. Wouldn’t want you tumbling down the stairs,” Gladio remarked with a smirk, shortly pursuing after the blonde. 

“Hey!” interjected Prompto with a glare that wouldn’t kill a fly even if he tried hard enough. Well, it’s not a matter of _can’t_ , actually. He could definitely be intimidating when he wanted to be! It’s just… not that often— yeah, that’s all. 

“That would certainly be a tragedy, wouldn’t it? Noct, shall we?” said Ignis, but when the prince gave no response nor chased after them, the others skidded to a halt. “Noct?”

“Hey, buddy, you okay?” Prompto furrowed his brows in concern. That Noctis wore a troubled expression only worsened their concern. Was he hurt? Did they overlook an injury? 

“Guys,” Noct drawled slowly, either attempting to form the proper words or to make sense of whatever it was that was bothering him. 

“What’s up?” Gladio prodded.

“Are you injured?” Ignis added with feeling.

Noct opened his mouth, shut it, opened it again, and heaved a sigh. With a conceding look, he gesticulated a dismissive wave in an effort to brush off their concerns, “Nevermind. It’s nothing.”

Even if Ignis stood in the corner of his eyes, Prompto saw how the bespectacled man’s deadpan look screamed “bullshit” at Noct’s response. But it’s Ignis-- sophisticated, educated, and posh Ignis-- who would have a better synonym for the word up his sleeve instead of what Prompto thought of. 

“Are you certain it’s of no concern?” Coming from Ignis, that’s definitely a confirmation. Astrals knew how many a times had they thought it was a splendid idea to brush aside an injury or a problem— or on Noctis and Prompto’s case, an idea straight out of _How to Annoy Specs 101_ — only for it to plummet down into “oh shit, we’ve done fucked up” territory. 

“Mhm. I must’ve imagined it or something,” Noct nodded albeit reluctantly. Well then, if that’s the diagnosis of the Crown Prince, then maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, after all. They’ll live. 

Hopefully.

_Oh Six, it’s going to be those “It’s not like it can get any worse from here!” cliches, wasn’t it? Oh Six._

  


* * *

  


“Okay, Prompto, stay calm. It’s going to be okay.” That’s what Prompto Argentum, certified member of the Crownsguard and best friend of the Crown Prince of Lucis, had been repeating over and over for the past ten minutes as he paced back and forth in front of his friends, who were definitely safe and sound after the fight with two Naga (ugh, creepy) variants.

Something warm, slippery, and downright disgusting licked his elbow, and Prompto disavowed any knowledge of shrieking at the contact. “Dude, cut it out!”

He looked down at the offender— no, not condescendingly but _literally_ looked down— because the one who had the audacity to scare the living daylight out of him was frog-sized and frustratingly smug over what he’d done. The frog beside it was croaking— no, _laughing_ — while the last one remained quiet in a frighteningly-disapproving manner.

Well, at least that solved the problem on how to identify his friends when they all look the same, but sweet Astrals--

Fuck this place. Fuck Nagas. Fuck Costlemark Tower. 

“You’re not helping!” Prompto all but whined at Gladio, who laughed in frog dialect at his apparent misery. The blonde was one breadth away from ruining his perfectly-styled and not-chocobo-butt hair out of sheer frustration and desperation, because evidently all three of his friends morphed into frogs and he had no way of curing them from this affliction except to wait it out. 

If Noct returned back to normal, then Prompto would’ve gladly taken the opportunity to strangle him, because apparently “It’s nothing” in Noct’s dictionary meant “I can’t access our curatives by the way, so try not to die a lot okay thanks.” 

Don’t get him wrong: it’s not like they’d never dealt with this affliction before. On those special occasions, one-- or two, at best-- of them would be unfortunate enough to take the hit. But for those instances, they at least had a remedy or the what’s-it kiss at hand; frog time was always short, shenanigans and blackmail aside.

(Of course he took pictures of his friends, mainly Noct, in their froggy state. Why _wouldn’t_ he take pictures of their frog version and not wave them around for shits and giggles?)

Anyway, shouldn’t they be back to themselves now? Unless those Nagas were secretly one of the plentiful superbosses or those five-star mobs in King’s Knight, everything would’ve gone back to normal and they could all skidaddle to the next area like they’ve been doing for the last approximately thirty floors. 

A chorus of loud ribbits steered Prompto away from his frenzied thoughts and towards the two green frogs, who, from the looks of it, were engaged in a conversation Prompto would never understand. For a moment there, he wondered if they were able to communicate with each other in their newly-discovered language. Do they even understand each other or were they just screaming at each other for no apparent reasons?

Maybe Sania could answer that question for him; he should probably ask the next time they happen to see her along the way.

_Along the way?_

Ah, Prompto snapped his finger in realisation. Right, they could backtrack to the haven! With the previous floors cleared, the only concern they had was how many stairs did they have to climb. Ignoring the curious looks from Noctis and Gladio, Prompto searched for the door they came from and--

Barred. Well shit, there goes a perfectly-solid plan.

“Of course we’re locked here.” Prompto complained. That left him with the remaining option then: moving forward until they reached another haven. Although satisfied with the plan, the blonde sincerely hoped that the Six would pity him and teleport them back to their last resting point since a certain someone with that level of skill was currently a frog.

“Okay, guys,” Prompto announced, clapping his hands to garner the attention of the others and— hold up. “Wait, where’s Iggy?”

Whatever philosophical conversation Gladio and Noct had was immediately dropped upon noticing the absence of the advisor. Just when Prompto thought he’d gotten his shit together, Ignis was nowhere to be found. 

Where’d he go? The last time Prompto was lucid enough, the blonde was sure Ignis was with the others, so what misery did Prompto have to deal with now? Did an assassin daemon spring up out of nowhere and kidnap him? Oh Six, why was everything spiralling out of control—

A distant ribbit— too far for it to originate from either Noct or Gladio— echoed throughout the room, and Prompto quickly snapped his head to find the source. There, just waiting under the arch of a doorway that would lead them to the next floor was the man— or frog— himself, who frankly looked like he was in dire need of Ebony. 

When this ordeal was solved, Prompto would finally have the chance to laugh at how done Iggy looked. Who knew frogs could be so expressive? 

Maybe Sania, but you get the point.

Still, that Ignis was unharmed and very much alive eased off a tremendous amount of stress from Prompto’s shoulders. Calling out the advisor, Prompto scooped up Gladio and Noct, cradled them with his arm tucked underneath the hem of his vest to catch them should they happen to fall, and sprinted towards Ignis. “You’re okay! Whew, you had me worried for a moment there.”

Ignis apologized (really he croaked, but Prompto assumed that it’s an apology since Ignis was the type to do so whenever he worried someone) before hopping off towards the stairway. And immediately, Prompto understood the message: _Let’s keep going until we reached a haven._

Right, that ought to be better than loitering around an area that would sooner or later be manifested with more of those Nagas (ugh). 

“Think we’ll go faster if I carry you, Iggy. No offense,” Prompto joked, receiving another croak in return as the blonde lent his free hand to pick up the advisor and place him in-between Noct and Gladio. Thank the Six for their small size; otherwise, it’s going to be difficult fending off enemies with both of his hands occupied. “You guys okay? I know it’s not comfortable, but it’ll have to do for now.”

Prompto blinked when they answered with a couple of ribbits; he absolutely did not understand what they’re trying to convey. If they’re going to be like this for Astrals-know-how-long, then they were in desperate need to establish a common ground unless there’s an Frog-to-Lucian translator somewhere in his phone. “Um, okay, croak one for yes, twice for no?”

The others croaked once. Thank the Six— now that the language barrier was dealt with, he can at least _not_ pretend that he was fluent in frog-speak.

On Ignis’ left, Gladio croaked thrice, and before Prompto could bat an eye, Noct hopped towards the Shield and exuded a series of aggressive croaks that vaguely sounded like death threats. What on Eos did Gladio say to Noct? 

“Hey, hey! Now’s not the time for horseplay,” Prompto chastised, bringing up his other arm to prevent either of them from falling from their scuffle. “Dunno what Gladio said to you, Noct, but we’re still in the hot zone, remember?”

Noct may or may not have kicked Gladio in the face when the Crown Prince sulked and leaped back to where he was before, but other than that, the tension between Noct and Gladio that Prompto never realized existed until now dissipated. Passive-aggressive croaking aside, now’s a good time to get a move on before daemons popped up and shagged them for the ruckus they had caused. 

“You guys are so telling me what that was all about,” Prompto teased, chuckling when a resigned sigh escaped from Ignis.

  


* * *

  


“Oh, thank the Six! It’s over,” Prompto all-but-exclaimed when the fire snake dragon— Bilröt, as Ignis would inform later on when he’d gotten his hands on his bestiary— had breathed its last. Twenty minutes ago, Prompto had taken the creative liberty to spew all the profanities in his dictionary and atone for his sins because _holy fuck, of course they encountered the gods-damned boss instead of a haven._

Had he actually paid attention to the religion class back in high school, he’d gladly sing each song of every Astrals bar Ifrit, because as magical as Bilröt was with all the embers and flaming vortexes that would’ve made Prompto snapped some pictures, fuck fire. Seriously. 

Now, Prompto wouldn’t care if either Noctis or Gladio teased him for crying out of sheer relief now that there’s nothing in the room that would singe his hit-and-run ass. This victory called for a massive celebration: giant flaming snake dragon thing was eliminated, real life but shittier version of _Chocobo’s Mystery Dungeon Every Buddy!_ was over, and the mission to eradicate the menace in this dungeon was complete. 

Forget about camping; crashing on a hotel bed sounded like an Altissian luxury right now. 

Flopping on the ground without a care in the world, Prompto finally allowed himself to relax and catch his breath as he blankly stared up at the centuries-old ceiling. His vision’s blurry, but he made no attempt to wipe it away; with the adrenaline rush gone, all of his limbs felt as if the adamantoise near Longwythe Rest had decided to migrate on top of his body. And--

_Oh Six, that hurt_

Yeah, the pain’s settling in-- the burn marks, obviously, and the older injuries from the previous floors were making itself more prominent now that the danger had passed. 

“Everyone okay?” Prompto asked albeit out-of-breath. When they responded to his simple inquiry, claiming that they were none the worse for wear, the blonde closed his eyes in relief. 

Once again, thank the Six neither of his friends were gravely injured. Astrals forbid, holding a funeral service for frogs was the last thing he wanted to happen. 

“Guys, let’s go to Galdin when we’re out of here. And I know it’s too early, but I call dibs on the shower,” Prompto suggested through gritted teeth without bothering to look around for his friends, who were frustratingly still frogs. “We have the gil for it right, Iggy?”

A single croak from his left confirmed his question as Prompto felt the corner of his lips tugged a crooked smile. Huh, he wasn’t aware Iggy was _that_ near. He must’ve been lying on the ground for a long time now.

“Awesome, can’t wait to reunite with the bed, my dudes,” the blonde huffed a drain laugh, yet that was briefly cut off with a wince. Almost immediately, concerned croaks filled in the silence. He bit back a wince when the noise worsened his growing headache and said, “Don’t want to sound ungrateful right now, but can you keep it down? My head hurts.”

Mustering what energy he had left, Prompto tilted his head to the left and saw two green frogs, their concern evidently visible in their eyes. Although he struggled for a brief moment, the blonde tried to flash a smile at the two, “Don’t worry about me too much. I’m fine— ‘M just hella tired. Hey, who’s missing—”

Someone leaped onto his chest, the suddenness of an added pressure had the blonde cry out from the sharp pang. Before he could swat away the weight however, it disappeared as quickly as it came. Once again, a clamor of anxious ribbits rang in the air, only this time, there was something cool, small, and slippery nuzzling his grime-stained cheek.

Prompto’s not sure who’s who anymore. At one point, all that running around and shielding everyone from a nasty fire blast had him scream _Can I just put you all in the armiger?!_ before placing them on another corner, far away from the snake dragon until it decided to exhaust another round of heat nearby. 

But now, Prompto had a good guess of who was awkwardly caressing his cheek at the very least. Raising a hand made him exert more effort than usual, but it was worth the pain when he managed to stroke Noctis’ back, “It’ll be okay, Noct. I’ve dealt with worse.”

That was supposed to be a dismissive reassurance, but could he really mean that? Had he truly confronted a danger worse than second-degree burns and mild lacerations? 

Maybe. Dealing with Ignis’ pensive wrath and an irate Gladio’s training regimen counted, right?

Unfortunately, his friends thought otherwise. 

The stinging pain was constant on every inch of his uncovered skin like a stubborn itch, but Prompto slowly cared little of his injuries. As his eyelids grew heavier with each passing minute, he muttered, “Sorry, guys.”

It was a small mercy from the Astrals to have him lose consciousness when his body writhed from pain. But still, to hear the fading cries of concern stung him more than he’d expected: it felt like failing his friends when they expected his help.

  


* * *

  


There’s a tingling numbness and outright fatigue that made itself known throughout his body as Prompto stirred from his slumber. Although his temple throbbed, he could still register a crackling of fire nearby and the sounds of light footsteps that Prompto recognized as Ignis’. That he hadn’t heard anything else meant that either Noct was asleep or Gladio was off exercising elsewhere. 

Ugh, he didn’t feel like moving today. He must’ve pushed himself too hard yesterday, 

Groaning, Prompto rolled on his side but quickly retracted with a wince when pain shot up through his arm. Ouch, what a mistake. Yeah, he’s not going to do that any time soon.

There’s a ribbit to his right, and for a moment there, it confused Prompto. Why’s there a frog inside the tent? As he turned his head towards the noise, the blonde opened his eyes, waited for a brief moment for the haze to clear, and confirmed what it was— a frog.

Weird. It must’ve been a prank or something—

Oh wait.

Nevermind.

It’s all coming back now: everyone turning to frogs, his kicking ass and taking pics, and his majestic victory against a snake dragon. Right-- that explained why he felt like putty today.

“Noct? That you?” He tentatively called, bringing a hand down to pat the frog on the head. When the amphibian croaked in response and leaned in to the touch, Prompto flashed a crooked smile. “Hey, bud. Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes?” 

That was one of the most cliche things Prompto had ever said to Noct. And judging from his best friend’s eye roll, Noct wouldn’t dare veto that claim. 

“I see you’re awake.” Prompto quickly diverted his attention away from Noctis and sure enough, Ignis— a hundred percent human, mind you— was there, sitting on his chair around a make-shift campfire. 

It was then Prompto realized that no, they weren’t in a haven at all; rather, they were still in the same room where he single-handedly sprayed bullets at the Bilröt like a trigger-happy maniac. The tent hadn’t been erected, but their sleeping bags were laid out beside him. The portable kitchen was present as well. Given that Ignis wasn’t a frog anymore, all this was definitely his doing. 

Gods, Ignis was heaven-sent.

“Iggy, you’re back!” Prompto greeted cheerfully as he sat up from his supine position. 

“That I am,” Ignis nodded, closing his notebook with a simple gesture. “How are you feeling, Prompto?”

“Bit peachy, but I’m okay-ish,” Prompto answered as he looked down, expecting to see the burn marks and lacerations that decorated his arms like tattoos but surprisingly found none. Instead, his pale skin was glaringly red as if he had been prancing under the sun for gods-know-how-long. “Huh… They’re gone?”

“I gave you an elixir as soon as I turned back. Second-degree burns shouldn’t be trifled with as you are well-aware,” Ignis stood from his seat, headed towards Prompto, and crouched in front of the other. This time, his voice softened in a gentler tone, “Do you need more?” 

Right, Ignis had elixirs in his pockets; ultimately, that was their saving grace throughout the whole dungeon since whatever magical entity decided that stripping them of their curatives was entertaining.

“Na, you can save it for the others,” Prompto said, poking his arm with his finger and pouting when a little jolt of pain surged through the contact. He didn’t need to look at Ignis or at Noct to see them frown in concern. “Skin’s sensitive though.”

“Very well,” Ignis hummed. “Are you hungry?’

“ _Starving_.”

Nodding, Ignis stood up and said, “I’ll fetch the soup then.”

“Thanks, Iggy,” Prompto then looked down on Noct and saw that the other had his eyes closed. Snorting, Prompto poked the slimy skin thrice and feigned a squirm at the ickiness like a six year old. “Wakey, wakey, little guy.”

Had Noct been human, that croak would’ve been translated to an annoyed groan. And for a moment there, Noct had brought one of his limbs up and slapped Prompto’s pointing finger away, urging Prompto to laugh at the sheer ridiculousness of it all. 

“Aw, don’t be like that,” Prompto cooed as he scooped up the frog and held a struggling Noctis in front of him at an arm’s length. The idea of swinging Noctis around like an airplane was a tempting one-- Prompto would probably get his ass kicked later on, but it would be worth it. “Aren’t you just gross and adorable?”

When Noctis stopped squirming at the comment and took a sudden interest on the ground, Prompto all-but-snickered. Gods, if only he had the camera within his reach right now, a flustered frog prince would’ve made a great addition in the album.

Then quietly, Prompto lowered his voice to a whisper, “Not gonna lie: I really want to kiss you, but my lips aren’t going anywhere near on that slimy stuff; so, you gotta wait for it, ’kay?”

Prompto hardly bit back a chuckle when Noctis deflated like a balloon from disappointment. Still, he could hardly find it within himself to withdraw some affectionate gestures; hence, he found himself booping Noct’s nose with his thumb and giggled at the prince’s scrunched ribbit. 

“I’m sure His Highness appreciates the sentiment, Prompto, especially the former,” Ignis returned with a bowl of Creamy Bisque at hand, its particular aroma wafting in the air. 

While an exasperated Noctis placed his heart and soul in glaring at the bespectacled man, Prompto perked up at the scent, gingerly placed Noct on his lap, and grinned when he was handed the bowl; he squandered no time in digging in Ignis’ meal as if he hadn’t eaten for days. Then again, the last time they had set camp was... hours ago?

“Hey, uh, Iggy?” 

Ignis was by the cooler now, presumably fetching a can of Ebony. “Yes, Prompto?”

“How long was I out?”

“Daresay only a couple of hours, although I expected you to wake later seeing as how you’ve exhausted yourself on the last battle,” Ignis opened the can with a well-rehearsed motion before drinking away the coffee like it was water, which for Ignis, might as well be. 

“Yeah, all that running around did take a toll on me, I guess,” Prompto chuckled as he took another spoonful of soup. “By the way, where's big guy?”

“Gladio is off running.”

“Oh, he’s turned back, too?” 

Noctis snorted in response, but since Prompto had yet to be articulate in frog-speak, Ignis clarified, “Not precisely.”

“What do you mean ‘not precisely’?” Prompto repeated with an arch of a brow as he paused and scanned his surroundings in search for one hulking behemoth-of-a-man. Raising his voice, he yelled, “Gladio?”

It took several seconds to hear remotely anything past the crackling fire, but sure enough it was there-- just quiet enough to miss if Prompto hadn’t been straining his ears. “He insisted on reading to pass the time, but unfortunately, he left his book back in the Regalia.”

That Gladio’s adamant enough to do his exercise regime even if he wasn’t human had the blonde cackle and whistle in admiration. Prompto wouldn’t even be surprised if Gladio found a way to intimidate the hell out of anyone as a frog either.

“Man, how long has he been doing that?”

“Quite a while now actually; Noct returned five minutes ago however.”

With a crooked smile, Prompto looked down at the frog resting on his lap and snickered, “Must’ve been an experience, right, buddy?”

“Oh, I assure you: it wasn’t quite as dramatic as hopping away from the enemy.” And that’s an experience nobody wanted a repeat of ever again, especially when it concerned a giant fire-breathing snake that was more than capable of scorching everything in the room alive. 

“Let’s not turn to frogs again. Ever.”

“Agreed.”

Prompto finished his bowl and promptly (whoops) set it down in front of him. Although his hunger was sated, exhaustion crept back up to his bones and suppressed his chipper energy; with how heavy his eyelids were, Prompto deduced that another round of sleep wouldn’t kill him. “I think I’ll take a nap.”

“Alright, I will keep an eye out.” 

At Ignis’ affirmation, Prompto flopped back down on his sleeping bag and pushed the bowl further away. Noctis muttered an aggravated croak at the shuffling, yet even he moved to a new position— particularly on Prompto’s chest. “You sure about that, buddy? I might squish ya.”

Noctis didn’t move an inch when he responded, but he did close his eyes to prove his point. 

“M’kay, suit yourself.” Prompto chuckled as he once again found himself brushing Noct’s back with his free hand. Now that Ignis was here, the blonde had felt the weight of responsibility slip away from his shoulders; after all, it was better to sleep knowing that at least someone was guarding them from danger. 

And with that thought in mind, Prompto closed his eyes and allowed the chocobos roam free in his dreamland.

  


* * *

  


“...kid’s doing?”

Gladio? He’s back? Cool.

“Well enough. It was fortunate that I was able to give him an elixir before his injuries worsened,” Ignis’ accented voice stood out among the scuffle of footsteps, but in Prompto's half-lucid state some of the words were muddled.

“...Yeah. Had us worried. Sure he’s good enough to run around after this?”

“I’m sure Prompto will be back on his feet in due time.” 

“Right,” gruffed Gladio. “All that training went to use. Gotta admit: I’m proud of him, but I kinda expected him to trip at one point.” Wow, thanks for the vote of confidence, big guy.

“We all are, and, for the record, he did— twice, as a matter of fact.”

Prompto did not remember tripping at all, but he did recall throwing himself a lot just to protect his frog friends— ah, to be an acrobatic meat shield. 

“Right.” Then there was silence— either that, or they were speaking quietly. When the silence stretched longer as seconds went by, Prompto lulled himself back to sleep, vaguely hearing Gladio’s last question: “So did Prom kiss Prince Charmless while I was gone?”

  


* * *

  


“We’re back!” Prompto all-but-screamed at the sight of the primitive and picturesque landscape basking underneath the rays of the sun. Six, breathing in the fresh air had never been _this_ invigorating before! “And we’re free! Free!”

Beside him, Noctis laughed at Prompto’s exaggerated antics, but of course, that hardly meant he didn’t share the same sentiment. _Days_ of being stuck down there in that blasted dungeon had them eager to return back to the surface. 

“Thank goodness,” Ignis breathed a sigh of relief from behind. 

“That was a mess,” Gladio commented as he stretched his arms and revelled in the sweet sounds and scent of nature. 

“Indeed,” Ignis agreed. “Let us hope the other dungeons wouldn’t be as chaotic as this one.”

“Come on, guys, let’s worry about the other dungeons later!” whined Prompto, who spun on his heels to face the others. That his back was exposed to whatever was there out in the wilderness didn’t deter the blonde from walking backward however, much to Ignis’ chagrin.

“Prom’s right. You really want to dive in another cave? Noctis substantiated.

Ignis shook his head and admonished, “Now, now, don’t be brash. Neither Gladio nor I suggested that we should head to the next dungeon.”

“Great! Now let’s go to Galdin!” Prompto chirruped all the while being one step away from tumbling down the ground. “You guys promised, remember?”

“We did?” Noctis feigned obliviousness and grinned when Prompto’s feathers were successfully ruffled.

“Yeah! You did!” Prompto asserted. “Come on, Noct! Galdin! Big beds! Shower! Fishing!”

“Head-bashing,” Gladio added snarkily.

“Shopping,” replied Ignis, but since curatives were strictly prohibited in that blasted dungeon, the group knew all-too-well that replenishing the cache of Ebony was on Ignis’ list of priorities.

“Okay, okay!” Noctis exclaimed, “Galdin!”

“Alright! You’re the best. Noct!” Prompto whooped, throwing his fist in the air. Before they could even bat an eyelash, Prompto had spun back around and ran ahead towards the direction of where Ignis had last parked the Regalia.. “Race ya! Last one there gets the last shower!”

“Oh no, you don’t!” Noctis shortly chased after the blonde, whose sing-song laughter rang throughout the open air and barely garnering the attention of the nearby creatures within the area.

“It’s going to be a date night, isn’t it?” Gladio snorted, following after the two idiots who were too love-struck to notice a particular swarm of wasps nearby. 

“Galdin _is_ a popular destination for a date night,” mused Ignis. Gladio hardly missed the way the bespectacled man picked up his pace as well.

“Are we getting separate rooms?”

“Sadly no. The gil will better serve its purpose for other trivialities.”

Gladio heaved a resigned sigh. “Well, better hope those kids don’t fuck while we’re around.”

“Tact may not be their strong suit, Gladio, but their attempts are inevitably better than yours.”

“Hey!”

  


* * *

  


The Regalia’s leather chair was a far more superior in terms of cushioning compared to the rocky ground; now, Prompto’s ass didn’t feel like screaming at all. Plus, the clear skies and cool breeze were an added bonus. In short, Prompto missed the Regalia; it might as well be a homecoming for all he cared.

With Ignis focused on the road ahead as he drove, Gladio on the back reading that romance novel he practically cherished, and Noct out like a light; a sense of serene normality danced in the air. They hardly had to fret over enemies now (well, not really since the Imperials are dicks) that they’re back on the road with the sun beating down on them with its heat.

Prompto leaned back on his seat, exhaling through his nose and examining the photos he had taken during the whole ordeal. Okay, some of the shots were downright terrible because of the poor lighting and all, but at least there were some great battle shots (excluding the accidental ass shots) that had decent lighting and clarity. 

Then he stopped short at the last photo he’d taken: it was a selfie of him doing a tilted peace sign on the right corner while on the left side, the Bilröt had its head bowed, mustering its flames to exhaust them later on. As it was channeling its energy, embers were fluttering about in the background, making the whole picture appeared like it came straight out of Disney.

And by the Six, this image made him feel like a Disney princess.

That idea hardly stopped him from grinning ear-to-ear.

“Care to share, Prompto?” Ignis started once he noticed the blonde’s signature shit-eating grin. 

“I got a great selfie!” Prompto sang-- yes, _sang,_ and giggled like a high schooler fawning over his crush. Which reminded him-- high school felt like years ago now holy shit--

“Oh yeah? Lemme see it.” At Gladio’s urging, Prompto jubilantly draped himself over his seat, ignoring Ignis’ protest, and frantically waved his camera in front of Gladio’s face. Once the Shield caught sight of the image, he whistled appreciatively, “Damn, that’s a good shot.”

“I know! I dig it, too!” 

“What?” Noctis mumbled, raising his head a bit to glance at the two. Well look at that, Noct _wasn’t_ asleep after all. “Lemme see that.”

Just before the blonde could hand his beloved camera however, Ignis chastised, “Prompto, sit properly please! You’re more than welcome to share your photos in the room,” 

“Okie dokie,” Prompto hopped back down on his seat with a grin still glued to his face while Noctis grumbled at Ignis’ austerity. Sure, the whole dungeon was a chaotic mess, but damn, at least some of the photos were worth the time and effort. 

The conversation lulled back into a comfortable silence now that each were engrossed in their own task. Prompto hardly minded the quiet as it simply gave him time to sit back, relax, and fiddle with the filters of his camera; it's good to experiment every once in a while, right? With a resolute glint in his eyes, Prompto busied himself in finding the right photo to work some magic on. But his plans all inevitable came crashing down as soon as he hit the 'next' button, only to end up back in their first photo.

“Oh my gods,” Prompto breathed out.

That diverted all the attention back to the blonde. Casting a worried glance at the side mirror, Noctis prompted, “What?”

“I didn’t take a group photo while you guys were frogs!” Reaching this point of lamentation had Prompto brush aside the exasperated groan from the Shield and the prince and a relieved yet annoyed sigh from the advisor. “Guys, this is serious!”

“I’m not turning into a frog just to have a photo op, blonde.”

“We can tolerate seaside supermodels, but we cannot, for goodness’ sake, tolerate forest frog supermodels.”

“Good gods, Iggy, you’re feeding him ideas!”

“Noct, Noct!” Prompto whined, “Can your magic poof people into frogs?!”

Noctis smirked, “Wanna try?”

“...Actually, go ahead,” Gladio abruptly encouraged, having a change of mind within a bat of an eyelash, “I’d like to see you try and become a frog permanently.”

“The Crown Frog Prince of Lucis,” Ignis recited, coaxing a wrinkled look of disdain from the prince himself.

“The _Sleeping_ Crown Frog Prince of Lucis,” Prompto corrected. He bit back a chortle when he was on the receiving end of a betrayed look.

“Only woken by true love’s kiss,” chimed in the ever-romantic Gladio, who half-heartedly punched Noct’s shoulder and darted a wink towards Prompto’s way.

“I hate you, guys,” Noctis grumbled, thankful that his bangs managed to hide a portion of his blush, while the others’ laughter rang in the air. 

“A tragedy indeed,” Ignis lamented with feeling.

Prompto’s laughter waned into a chuckle when the blonde met Noctis’ warm eyes. And for a moment there, the sounds around him faded as well; it was just him and Noct, relishing in the moments shared with one another as Noct and Prom, not as the prince and his retainer. Prompto wanted nothing more than to intertwine his fingers with Noct’s as they frolicked about in the fields; that was his wish, and maybe it was Noct’s as well. 

“Don’t have sex now. Thanks.”

“Gladio, what the fuck—“

Having accepted his fate decades ago, Ignis shook his head in resignation and tutted, “Tact, Gladio, tact.”

**Author's Note:**

> The bros may not have turned into frogs during the fight with the boss, but I did control Prompto throughout the whole battle. Also that Bilröt selfie is real; I'll find a way to get that picture from my PS4 somehow :))
> 
> Anywho, thanks for reading this mess! Feedback and constructive criticism are sincerely appreciated. I like to not suck at writing aaaaaaaaah
> 
> edit: gottem https://twitter.com/sylaise_lav/status/1351193034730442754?s=21


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